We humans are extremely predictable in a lot of ways. Most of the time we are predictable in the wrong ways too. The incident in St. Matthew’s gospel which is the basis for the message today was not about children primarily. It was Jesus’ answer to the natural human instinct to vie for positions of power and authority and influence. More than once it was evident that among those twelve disciples there was bickering about which one of them should have pre-eminent positions among them or who was the closest to the master himself. In a way, children are very much like this too or better yet adults are very much like children. One other example of this jostling for position among the disciples is recorded in St. Matthew chapter twenty (See St. Matthew 20:20-27) and the same incident in St. Mark chapter 10. (See St. Mark 10:35-45) We know historically that Mark’s gospel was written before Matthew’s so the Marcan version was clearly the original. This version is also different from Matthew’s version in that in Mark it is the disciples who make the request of Jesus for themselves whereas in Matthew’s version, which is our text for today, we read that it is their mother who makes the request. Be that as it may, the detail is still the same. A request was made for these two brothers to be the most prominent of the disciples in the kingdom of heaven. It must be noted here that these two disciples were already the closest disciples to Jesus along with Peter and many significant experiences of Jesus were only witnessed by them. The transfiguration is a good example of this. Nevertheless these two disciples still wanted to be assured that in eternity or whenever Jesus came into his glory they would still occupy positions of pre-eminence. In St. Matthew’s gospel a different conversation occurs over pretty much the same theme of pre-eminence when the disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not certain whether the question referred to a future time or the present time in which they were living. In response though Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them and then he gave them his answer.
The obvious thing to note is the use of a child in this demonstration. What is so significant about a child? The answer is quite simple. Children had to depend on their parents for nurture and support. Children cannot take care of themselves. They had no value or place in society even though they are the future of that society. Children were even lower than women in the social hierarchy of Jewish society in Jesus’ day. To be a child then, meant that you were vulnerable and powerless. The disciples’ understanding of the kingdom of Heaven clearly was about being lofty and having power. This obviously contrasts with what a child represents in a society. By using a child, Jesus was telling them that they had to see themselves as among the weak and the vulnerable and the powerless in order for them to truly be a part of God’s kingdom. That message is the same for us today.
You may notice that there are two separate principles to be found in Jesus’ message for his disciples to reflect on and by extension for us to think about as well.
The first is that a transformation must take place so that one can become like a little child again. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks which is probably true but here it is like saying the old dog has to rediscover what it was like to be a puppy in order to be taught those new tricks. It is a transformation of the mind and a change of attitude that must take place in order for that dog to feel like and act like a puppy again even though he is much older. In a way, the same principle applies to human beings. We have to re-discover the mind of a child to recall what it is like to be humble and vulnerable once again. This obviously can be quite humbling. Yet, this was precisely the message that Jesus wanted to get through to those disciples then and to us today. One cannot be truly Christian unless you are prepared to step down a few notches from your lofty positions and ambitions. It is only by rediscovering and accepting our own vulnerabilities and weaknesses that we can truly empathise with and accept the weakness and vulnerability of others.
The second principle is that welcoming those who are vulnerable and powerless and need help and support in the same way that a little child needs, is a key requirement of the kingdom of Heaven. We will see in St. Matthew chapter nineteen (See St. Matthew 19: 13-15) where Jesus demonstrates this by admonishing the disciples who were chasing the children and their mothers away. In many societies and cultures it is easy to dismiss the desires and needs of children or put them last in line, because we think there are more important things for adults to be concentrating their minds on and in the busyness of our lives we can put aside or pay scant attention to the needs of children. Jesus is reminding us today that the needs and desires of children reflect the needs and desires of the most vulnerable and marginalised in society. Yet it is their needs and their concerns that must be top of mind in all that we do. We welcome the helpless and the powerless by giving them the priority treatment as much as possible because that is the Christian thing to do.
Every time we are granted the opportunity to welcome a child for baptism and to share in the joy of their parents we think of the innocence and the hopes of great possibilities that the parents have for their children. We are reminded of how vulnerable and dependent they are on us adults for their nurture and growth. We also remember that we too are little children in God’s kingdom and as he has welcomed us, we too, welcome and give encouragement and support to all young families as much as we are able to do. Children remind us of our own vulnerabilities and weaknesses and they also remind us that we are on this earth to give support and help to those who are weaker and more vulnerable than we are. Life must not be about our own ambitions and desire for prominence but more so about how we can serve others needs. That’s how we can become the greatest, probably not in human estimation, but in God’s kingdom.
At the end of it all, this is a message about humility. Remember that the issue arose because the disciples were arguing about which one of them would be the greatest in God’s kingdom. Being like a little child is a humbling experience for many because we rarely like to see ourselves as vulnerable and helpless, having to depend on others for our survival and growth. How do you demonstrate humility in your life’s journey? Are you willing to help those who are in greatest need? Are you prepared to socialise with the marginalised in your community and society? Are you willing and passionate about advocating for the needs and welfare of those who are often ignored or whose interests are not seen to be as important as the rest of society? Who are these people and where can you find them? They are persons among us both young and old who are vulnerable and marginalised? They are those who experience prejudice everyday for all sorts of reasons. They are those who are economically challenged. They are among those who are without shelter. They are those who are overcome with addictions. And there are so many more people who need to be welcomed and made to feel that they do matter. They are important to us and are most important to God. We are challenged as a church and as individual Christians to open our hearts and our doors to them as we would to little children because that’s what true Christianity demands of all of us.
May God continue to speak to us through his word and give us the courage and the will to be his true vessels of hope and light in this world wherever we are. Amen.